LONDON — British police on Saturday released a 26-year-old man who’d been arrested as a suspect in the killing of former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe, as they revealed she was attacked in her home a full day before her body was discovered.
Devon and Cornwall police said the man detained Friday a few miles from the scene of the attack was no longer under investigation. The force said detectives are working at “at a significant pace” to find the killer, and they don’t believe there is a risk to the public.
Widdecombe, 78, was found dead Thursday in her isolated rural home in the village of Haytor on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwestern England. Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had sustained “serious injuries.”
Police said they believe Widdecombe was attacked around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Concerns were raised for her after she failed to appear for a scheduled TV interview that afternoon.
The killing is not being investigated as an act of terrorism, and there is no information suggesting it was politically motivated, police said.
Security has been tightened for politicians after the killings of two sitting members of Parliament in the last decade. Labor lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party to which Widdecombe belonged, said staff had searched party emails to check for patterns of abuse directed at her, but had not found anything.
Speaking after leaving a wreath of flowers outside Widdecombe’s home, Farage said that “we can’t identify, from our data, any individual” who appeared to be targeting her.
The death sent shock waves through British politics, where Widdecombe had been a prominent voice for decades, known for her robust personality and socially conservative views opposing abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
She was a lawmaker in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.
Widdecombe found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK party, often appearing in the media as a spokesperson.
Friends and colleagues contrasted her pugnacious political statements with her personal kindness and good humor.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called her death “really shocking news,” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she “really struggled to find the words to say” about Widdecombe’s death.
“It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family,” Badenoch said.
Lawless writes for the Associated Press.
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